Tag: Alex Pereira

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Conor McGregor injured, Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka headlines UFC 303, more

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses Conor McGregor’s withdrawal from UFC 303, the booking of Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka, more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Farah Hannoun, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • The UFC 303 and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] saga has finally come to an end. Unfortunately, the Irish superstar has been ruled out of his return at UFC 303 on June 29 due to injury. This is devastating news for McGregor, but what exactly does this mean for his career? Where does this leave his opponent [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]? We break it all down.
  • McGregor’s injury did not affect Chandler alone. This forced the UFC to strengthen the International Fight Week event by adding new bouts, including a light heavyweight title fight between [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] and [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] for the main event, and a pivotal featherweight bout between [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] and [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] in the co-main. Additionally, [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] suffered an injury and was replaced by [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] for his fight against [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]. We chat about the latest updates for UFC 303.
  • This past Saturday, young, Japanese rising contender [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] got past his toughest test – former UFC title challenger [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]. In a competitive bout, Perez suffered a knee injury while Taira had his back, thus losing by TKO. What’s Taira’s potential? Where does he go next? We discuss.
  • The UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia this Saturday has a new main event. [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] pulled out due to illness, and now [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] will take on undefeated [autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag]. We break down the new main event, along with the rest of the card.

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New UFC 303 poster still features yellow yelling faces, but now with Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka

Check out the new UFC 303 poster, which keeps the same theme as the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler version.

UFC 303 has experienced quite the overhaul after [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] withdrew due to injury, and with a new main event comes a new fight poster.

Thursday, UFC CEO Dana White officially announced “The Notorious” McGregor was out of his long-awaited fight against [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag], which was set to be the main event of the pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Stepping up on short notice to fill the void is the UFC’s current MVP and light heavyweight champ, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag], who will meet former champ [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] in a rematch. White also announced a few other changes, including Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega and Anthony Smith vs. Carlos Ulberg.

It’s Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Prochazka (30-4-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) who get the solo shine on the new event poster, which sticks with the same look and feel of yelling faces as the McGregor vs. Chandler version.

Check out the new poster below:

The McGregor vs. Chandler version of the poster is below:

UFC 303 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 29. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

The latest UFC 303 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+ pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka
  • Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega
  • Anthony Smith vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
  • Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Joe Pyfer
  • Andre Fili vs. Cub Swanson
  • Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
  • Yanis Ghemmouri vs. Payton Talbott

EARLY PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Gillian Robertson vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
  • Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday
  • Carlos Hernandez vs. Rei Tsuruya
  • Vinicius Oliveira vs. Ricky Simon

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

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Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 303 title rematch

The opening odds for the new UFC 303 main event say Alex Pereira is at an advantage for his short-notice title defense vs. Jiri Prochazka.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] and [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] will rematch for the light heavyweight title on 17 days’ notice in the UFC 303 headliner after Conor McGregor suffered an injury that canceled his highly anticipated return against Michael Chandler.

Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 preview

After scoring a first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill in April’s historic UFC 300 headliner, Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) keeps up his remarkable octagon activity with another quick turnaround. The former UFC middleweight champion will look to end any debate about the night he won the 205-pound belt at UFC 295 in November, because his second-round TKO of Prochazka was met with some claims of an early stoppage.

Prochazka (30-4-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) will look to prove the first result wasn’t proof of the superior fighter and become a two-time champion in the division. He enters the rematch on the same turnaround as Pereira, because he also competed at UFC 300 where he scored a second-round TKO of Aleksandar Rakic that led to a $300,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 odds

DraftKings released the odds for the bout, with Pereira opening up as a slight -170 favorite over Prochazka, who’s a +142 underdog.

How to watch Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 at UFC 303

  • When: Saturday, June 29, 2024
  • Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
  • Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Alex Pereira explains accepting UFC 303 main event on short notice

After Conor McGregor withdrew from UFC 303, Alex Pereira stepped in to save the day with a main event vs. Jiri Prochazka.

In the midst of the biggest star in MMA history withdrawing from his bout on a day that saw the UFC lose three major fights, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] stood in the middle of the news cycle storm.

With Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler scrapped, Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (30-4-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was announced as the new June 29 main event for UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Pereira acknowledged the risk associated with a short notice fight, but voiced faith in his abilities.

“I understand that this fight is very close and there may be difficulties with the lead up time BUT if there is somebody that can make this happen it is me! POATAN!

“This is why I am one of the biggest names in the UFC Alex Pereira!!! I take risks that not one other person would be willing to take but I know I have my ancestors with me. The spirits are with me and I’m ready for it all.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8LsCqKN4fI/

Pereira, 36, is 3-0 at light heavyweight in the UFC. Following a divisional debut win over Jan Blachowicz, Pereira defeated Prochazka at UFC 295 by second-round TKO. He returned in April at UFC 300 and defeated Jamahal Hill by first-round TKO.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Conor McGregor injured; Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka set as new UFC 303 headliner

UFC CEO Dana White announced multiple changes to UFC 303, including a new main event after Conor McGregor’s injury.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and Michael Chandler will not be competing at UFC 303 after all, making way for a new main event for the June pay-per-view.

The matchup between McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has been in the works since they coached opposing teams on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2023. It was finally set to take place as the headliner of UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 29, however, due to an injury, McGregor is unable to compete

UFC CEO Dana White officially announced the change in a social media video on Thursday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8LfLj1xGlm/

The new main event for UFC 303 will be a light heavyweight championship rematch with [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] set to defend against former titleholder [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]. The first meeting happened at UFC 295 in November, with Pereira earning a second-round TKO finish that Prochazka called a premature stoppage.

McGregor’s return to action has been highly anticipated since he was last seen in 2021 at UFC 264 in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier. The former two-division champion suffered a broken leg in the first round, and has not competed since. He was set on a collision course with Chandler when they were tabbed as coached for TUF, but setting an official date was met with constant delays due to various reasons.

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Chandler was last in action in November 2022 at UFC 281 in a bout against Poirier, where he suffered his third loss in the promotion. With only five fights under his belt since joining the UFC in 2021, Chandler’s decision to wait for the McGregor matchup was met with criticism.

Chandler’s frustration with the process of locking down a fight date against McGregor was always apparent, but he attempted to find motivation as the days and months passed. After vowing to “make him pay” for the wait, Chandler will ultimately not have that opportunity to fight McGregor.

White also announced a slew of other fights for UFC 303, including ….

With the changes, the new UFC 303 lineup includes:

  • Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka – for light heavyweight title
  • Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega
  • Anthony Smith vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Joe Pyfer
  • Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page
  • Andre Fili vs. Cub Swanson
  • Vinicius Oliveira vs. Ricky Simon
  • Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
  • Yanis Ghemmouri vs. Payton Talbott
  • Gillian Robertson vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
  • Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday
  • Carlos Hernandez vs. Rei Tsuruya

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Alex Pereira unsure how Israel Adesanya does vs. Dricus Du Plessis: ‘After we fought, he changed a little bit’

UFC champ Alex Pereira has a hard time predicting the expected title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] has a hard time predicting the expected title fight between [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] and [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag].

UFC middleweight champion Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) are rumored to potentially fight on the UFC 305 pay-per-view card Aug. 17 in Perth, Australia. Adesanya will look to rebound from his title loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.

Prior to the Strickland loss, Adesanya knocked out Pereira at UFC 287 in March 2023. Adesanya avenged his UFC 281 knockout loss to “Poatan,” who thinks he hasn’t looked the same since their fights.

“Being honest with you, like I said before, why the Strickland fight for him would be a hard fight and looking how everything played out, how everything worked, after I fought Adesanya, he changed a little bit,” Pereira told Fox Sports Australia through a Portuguese-language interpreter. “It’s kind of like, I’m not going to say he’s not the same anymore but he’s been performing a little different, so I don’t even know what to expect.”

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With their series tied 1-1 in MMA, Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was open to a trilogy bout with Adesanya, but says “The Last Stylebender” did not reciprocate his enthusiasm.

Pereira has since moved up to light heavyweight, captured that division’s belt, and successfully defended it with a knockout of Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April. He is currently angling for a rematch with Jiri Prochazka, whom he knocked out to claim the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 295.

Alex Pereira on Jamahal Hill’s late reaction to UFC 300 celebration: ‘Maybe he just woke up from the knockout’

Alex Pereira is confused why Jamahal Hill took this long to address his knockout loss at UFC 300.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] is confused why [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] took this long to address his knockout loss at UFC 300.

Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) took umbrage with light heavyweight champion Pereira’s (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) celebration after he was knocked out by him in Round 1 of their title fight in April.

“Sweet Dreams” said he respected Pereira’s mentor Glover Teixeira after he battered him to claim the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 283, so he expected the same from Pereira. “Poatan” took a shot at Hill for reacting nearly two months later.

“To be honest, I don’t get why he’s doing this so late,” Pereira told Fox Sports Australia through an interpreter. “It’s been almost two months. People usually do that right away, but maybe he just woke up from the knockout.”

Pereira said, “You reap what you sow,” in response to Hill’s complaints. He explained that he didn’t like Hill’s approach in the lead-up to their fight.

“It’s kind of like you harvest what you seed,” Pereira said. “During Glover’s fight, he was respectful. Glover, he got respect at the end. With us, he was a bit more disrespectful – so he got what he put on.”

Pereira is targeting a rematch with Jiri Prochazka, whom he knocked out to claim the vacant 205-pound title at UFC 295. Meanwhile, Hill will look to rebound when he faces streaking contender Carlos Ulberg at UFC 303 June 29 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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Alex Pereira: Everybody talks about Magomed Ankalaev’s grappling, ‘but they don’t know my ground’

Alex Pereira is not afraid of Magomed Ankalaev’s ground game.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] is not afraid of [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]’s ground game.

UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) is targeting a return in summer, and expects to run things back with Jiri Prochazka next. Pereira knocked out Prochazka to claim the vacant 205-pound title at UFC 295 – a stoppage Prochazka argued was too early.

Pereira has since defend his title once by knocking out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April. On the same night, Prochazka (30-4-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) rebounded with a knockout of his own against Aleksandar Rakic.

“I’m not the guy to call names. I’m not the guy to pick the fight,” Pereira told Sportsnet through an interpreter. “(I’ll fight) whoever (the UFC) want me to fight, but the name that’s on the table right now is Jiri Prochazka. We’re still in negotiations. I would like to fight around August, but nothing concrete yet.”

Although Prochazka appears to be on Pereira’s radar first, “Poatan” wouldn’t shy away from fighting Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC), who many see as his toughest test in the division.

Ankalaev is unbeaten in his past 12 fights, most recently scoring a Performance of the Night knockout of Johnny Walker in January.

“Everybody talks about Ankalaev, talks about his ground, but they don’t know my ground,” Pereira said. “It’s not even to show (my ground game). (I) just go with the flow. But I’d like to show some time.”

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Jamahal Hill takes umbrage with Alex Pereira’s celebration after UFC 300 ‘weak sh*t’ knockout

Alex Pereira’s post-fight celebration at UFC 300 isn’t sitting well with Jamahal Hill.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s post-fight celebration at UFC 300 isn’t sitting well with [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag].

UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) knocked out Hill in the first round to retain his title in April. “Poatan” delivered the “Khaby Lame” celebration as he stood over Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), which angered the former champion.

Nearly two months later, Hill took to Instagram to address the abrupt fight-ending sequence in which referee Herb Dean tried to pause the action after Hill struck Pereira with an inadvertent low blow. Pereira waved off Dean and proceeded to knock out Hill right after.

“Now I haven’t really spoke on this but I went to Brazil and DOGG WALKED your guy in one of the most one sided ass whooping in championship history and after showed nothing but respect and paid homage!! I’ve never celebrated over an opponent I beat and even called out my fans for disrespecting Johnny Walker after I slept him!! But because I showed competitive fire and was excited to be back after an injury that could of ended my career y’all think this is was funny or cool!! @alexpoatanpereira you really setup a punch you couldn’t get to without a weird confusing moment and did some weak sh*t but it ok because you will fight me again and my eyes won’t leave you until your as stiff as Izzy left you in Miami!!!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C71HUwhR1hn/

Pereira is currently focused on another rematch he foresees next, expecting to run things back with Jiri Prochazka, whom he knocked out to claim the vacant 205-pound title at UFC 295.

As for Hill, “Sweet Dreams” will look to rebound when he faces streaking contender Carlos Ulberg on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Vido: UFC champ Alex Pereira shows off English, cracks a smile in new Topps commercial

UFC champion Alex Pereira couldn’t keep his stoic face in a new Topps commercial.

UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] couldn’t keep his stoic face in a new Topps commercial.

Pereira is the main character in collectible trading cards company Topps’ commercial for their UFC Chrome line. Not only does Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) smile, but he shows off some of his English, which he never even tries to attempt in media appearances.

Check out the commercial in the video below:

From a main event to a main character, Pereira is fresh off a title defense when he knocked out Jamahal Hill in Round 1 of the UFC 300 headliner in April. In just 12 UFC fights, “Poatan” has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the UFC as a two-division champion, with notable wins over former champs Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka, and now Hill.

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